On May 22, the New York Times published a 12-minute video looking behind the scenes at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway, Queens. The Rt. Rev. Larry Provenzano, Bishop of Long Island, writes:
As I sat and watched this report, I prayed “Lord have mercy” over and over again as tears ran down my face in gratitude for the selfless care of our doctors, nurses and staff, and in sorrow for the pain and anguish this virus inflicts on victims and their families.
A morgue attendant opens a body bag and sees a familiar face. An emergency room physician carries on for weeks while his father is on a ventilator. A nurse assesses the line of ambulances parked along the entry ramp and chooses a patient for the next empty bed.
I could not be prouder of our people at St John’s Episcopal Hospital. Regardless of their faith backgrounds, I see the gospel being lived out one patient at a time, one family at a time – over and over again. This is for real. “Lord Have Mercy” Amen.
In April, TLC reported that clergy in the Diocese of Long Island were praying and moving beds as volunteers at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital. Since 1976 a diocesan corporation has owned the 257-bed hospital, which was founded in 1905. Provenzano chairs its board of trustees.
Kirk Petersen began reporting news for TLC as a freelancer in 2016, and was Associate Editor from 2019 to 2024, focusing especially on matters of governance in the Episcopal Church.
